Mary Elizabeth Winstead Joins ‘Kill The Messenger’

EXCLUSIVE: Having just signed on to two new indie roles earlier this month, Mary Elizabeth Winstead has further added to her dance card and joined the Michael Cuesta-helmed Kill The Messenger. The actress will play Dawn Garcia in the true-story thriller about journalist Gary Webb and his suicide after being smeared for stories he wrote linking the CIA to a scheme to arm Contra rebels in Nicaragua and import cocaine into California. Winstead’s character is the editor of the San Jose Mercury News, where Webb worked. The Avengers’ Jeremy Renner plays Webb. Rosemarie DeWitt is also in the film as is Barry Pepper. Peter Landesman wrote the screenplay for the pic, to which Focus Featurespicked up worldwide rights ahead of Berlin. Scott Stuber’s Bluegrass Films is producing with Landesman, Renner and Naomi Despres. Winstead is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein.